South Korea reports surging virus infections

South Korea's daily coronavirus case number soared over 90,000 on Wednesday, to a total of 90,443 new cases, nearly double in a week. 

The Health Ministry said there were now 90,281 local cases, sharply up compared to the previous day's count, which was 57,164 cases. The total of people in South Korea infected with the coronavirus since the pandemic began now stands at over 1,552,000. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said officials will start distributing free rapid test kits at kindergartens, elementary schools and nursing homes next week to strengthen protection for unvaccinated children and high-risk groups.